Rehabilitation of shoulder paresis caused by herpes zoster according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health A case report

We describe the case of a 73-year-old man with left shoulder paresis caused by a herpes zoster infection of the left C5 dermatomes. The patient had been affected by pain for 10 days, a skin rash on his left shoulder and back for 5 days, and weakness of his left shoulder for 2 days before admission. Eiectromyography revealed denervation discharges from the left supraspinatus, infraspinatus and deltoid muscles, which was compatible with radiculopathy showing after zoster infection. The patient was examined in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and treated with range-of-movement and strengthening exercises as well as activities of daily living and social participation. At 14 months after the onset of the condition, muscle strength had returned to normal. Electromyography revealed that motor unit action potentials were largely normal. These results indicate that the rehabilitation of paresis caused by herpes zoster can obtain positive results with suitable movement training.

The Role and Function of British NGOs in International Cultural Exchanges

As the world’s first country to launch industrial revolution,the UK had once been at the peak of global power for a long term and exerted great inf luence on the shaping of modern

Chronic Diseases of Childhood and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: A Systematic Review

The increase in chronic diseases in childhood highlights the need for a biopsychosocial approach to deal with the complexity of these health conditions. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) results from the need to implement new explanatory evaluative and therapeutic models. Thus, the present systematic review aims to identify published studies on the use of the ICF in chronic childhood diseases. As a secondary objective, to map the themes that have already been studied in the area to support the discussion on the expansion of the use of this classification in health services. The systematic review followed the PRISMA protocol, and the model was the PICO acronym, where Population was children and adolescents with chronic diseases, Intervention/Exposure was evaluation based on ICF concepts, Comparator was any tool, instrument, or intervention, and outcome was direct or indirect use of the ICF. We selected eight articles, five of which used the ICF as a conceptual tool and three as a classification system, divided into the following themes: quality of life, evaluation of patients (without using coding) and mapping the inclusion of the activity’s results and participation in clinical trials. Thus, use of the ICF in clinical practice is still incipient, although it has been recommended in guidelines. Further studies are necessary to expand the number of contributions by the ICF and to develop the necessary approaches for understanding the classification’s use.

Sexual dysfunctions and their treatment in liver diseases

Sexual dysfunction(SD)is a prevalent but very commonly ignored aspect in the treatment of liver diseases and cirrhosis.The etiology of SD is multifactorial and therefore treatment strategies are complex,especially in females.Phosphodiesterase inhibitors are useful and effective in erectile dysfunction in males but in females,no single drug is available for SD,therefore multimodal treatment is required depending upon the cause.The foremost and fundamental requirement in both genders is to be stress-free and have adequate control of liver diseases.Improved quality of life is helpful in improving SD and vice versa is also true.Therefore,patients suffering from liver diseases should come forward and ask for treatment for SD,and physicians should actively enquire about SD while history taking and evaluating these patients.SD results in deterioration of quality of life,and both are modifiable and treatable aspects of liver diseases,which are never addressed actively,due to social taboos and fears of SD treatment in the presence of liver diseases.The diagnosis of SD does not require costly investigations,as the diagnosis can be established based on validated questionnaires available for both genders,therefore detailed targeted history taking using questionnaires is essential.Data are emerging in this area but is still at an early stage.More studies should be dedicated to SD in liver diseases.

Impact of low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy on vascular parameters and sexual function in patients with arteriogenic erectile dysfunction

Previous published studies have shown an improvement of penile hemodynamic parameters after low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy(Li-ESWT).However,the clinical significance of these findings remains unclear,and definitive selection criteria for Li-ESWT based on preexisting comorbidities have yet to be established.This was an observational study of 113 patients with ED,evaluated between January 2019 and December 2021 in Andrology Unit at the Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation,University of Foggia(Foggia,Italy).Penile dynamic Doppler was performed to evaluate vascular parameters and 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction(IIEF-5)questionnaire was administered to assess the severity of ED.This was repeated 1 month after treatment.Patients with a peak systolic velocity(PSV)<30 cm s−1 were considered eligible for Li-ESWT.Our protocol consisted of 8 weekly sessions with 1500 strokes distributed in 5 different locations along the penis.After treatment,a significant mean(±standard deviation[s.d.])PSV increase of 5.0(±3.4)cm s−1 was recorded and 52/113(46.0%)patients reached a PSV>30 cm s−1 at posttherapeutic penile dynamic Doppler.A clinically significant IIEF-5 score improvement was observed in 7 patients,21 patients,and 2 patients with mild-to-moderate,moderate,and severe pretreatment ED,respectively.No different outcomes were assessed based on smoking habits,previous pelvic surgery,or use of oral phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor(PDE5i).On the other side,only 1(6.7%)in 15 patients with diabetes mellitus showed an IIEF-5 score improvement after Li-ESWT.Shockwave treatment determined a significant increase in PSV and correlated IIEF-5 improvement in ED patients.This advantage seemed particularly evident for moderate ED and was not affected by smoking habits,previous pelvic surgery,and use of PDE5i.Conversely,diabetic patients did not benefit from the treatment.

Applications of EMD to analyses of high-frequency beachface responses to Storm Bebinca in the Qing’an Bay,Guangdong Province,China

On average,five to six storms occur in the Qiongzhou Strait every year,causing significant damage to coastal geomorphology and several property losses.Tropical Storm Bebinca is the most unusual and complex storm event that has occurred in this region over the last 10 years.To detect the high-frequency beachface responses to the storm,a pressure sensor was deployed in the surf zone to record the free sea surface height,and the heights of grid pile points on the beachface were measured manually to determine beach elevation changes during this storm.Empirical Mode Decomposition and related analysis techniques were used to analyze the high-frequency topography and wave data.The results showed that:(1)the beachface response process occurred in three stages.The first stage was the rapid response stage,wherein the spring tide berm began to erode significantly,and the front edge of the beach berm reacted closely.The two beach sections resisted the harmful energy of the main storm.In the second stage,the beach slope increased after a large sediment loss on the beach berm and its front edge.To adapt to the storm energy,the beach at the low tide line began to erode,and the beach slope decreased.In the third stage,after the storm turned,the wave energy was significantly attenuated,and the beach berm eroded to resist the residual wave energy.The beachface began to oscillate and recover.(2)The main wave surface was the superimposed product of a few internal mode functions.Similar results were observed in beachface changes.High-frequency driving factors determine the local characteristics of beach evolution,and low-frequency driving factors determine the beach evolution trend.(3)The response of sediment to the storm was not a single sea-transportation,but a single-or two-way conversion driven by factors such as wave energy,swash flow,and secondary wave breaking.(4)TheΩ-RTR model is not completely applicable to beach states that undergo rapid changes during storms.Therefore,it is necessary to carry out further research on beach state identification during storms.

Volatility of the Exchange Rate after Renminbi Inclusion into the SDR：Test of Stability and Representation

The special drawing rights(SDR) must have stability and representation in order to serve as reserve assets and the unit of account for bulk commodities and assume the function as a potential international currency. By introducing such factors as China's share in global trade volume in 2013, this paper found that the covariance between the SDR and the price fluctuations of major commodities is the smallest after Renminbi inclusion into the SDR. The covariance is more or less halved compared with the SDR without Renminbi. Then, based on our comparison of volatility in the effective exchange rates(EER) of various countries(extensively used) and the volatility in the SDR exchange rate(seldom used), we found that despite similar trend curves, the SDR's volatility can explain for a very small part of the volatility in effective exchange rate. The residual error indicates that the share of SDR is limited in the volatility of effective exchange rates of various countries on the one hand and suggests that it is urgent to expand the SDR to include representative currencies, particularly the currencies that represent significant weights of world trade. Relevant tests demonstrate that Renminbi inclusion into the SDR will not only enlarge the stability of SDR but enlarge its function as an index currency through the extension of SDR's function as the unit of account for major world commodities and the inclusion of the currencies of other major trading nations, so that the representation as the global unit of account will be enlarged. In addition, the inclusion into the SDR also helps Renminbi become a component of the international reserve currencies and supplement its liquidity supply.

Influence of erectile dysfunction course on its progress and efficacy of treatment with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors

Background Erectile dysfunction （ED） is a common impairment among older men, and the prevalence rates increase sharply after age of 60 years. Most studies have focused on the prevalence rate or dangerouse factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the basic epidemiologic data about ED patients with different ED courses. The purpose of this researth was to understand the therapeutic effect of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor （PDE5-1） and see how and why the ED course impact the progress of ED and the therapeutic effect of PDE5-1 treatment. Methods From June 2008 to June 2009, 4252 questionnaires （Quality of Erection Questionnaire, QEQ） were gathered from 46 centers by urology or andrology doctors all around China. Patients with ED （age 〉 20 years） filled in first half of the questionnaires when they came for the first time, and then completed the second half 4 weeks after PDE5-1 therapy. Results ED courses of most patients were less than 5 years （〈5 years, 74.0%; 5-10 years 20.8%; 〉10 years, 5.2%）. As ED course increasing, the incidence of the risk factors of ED, such as smoking, drinking, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and hyperlipidemia also increase （P 〈0.01）. PDES-I was effective in improving the quality of sexual activities （P 〈0.01）. Administration of PDE5-1 improves satisfaction, enjoyment and frequency of sexual activities. The longer the ED course, the worse the therapeutic effect （〈5 years, 96.1%; 5-10 years, 94.9%; 〉10 years, 89.0%） （P 〈0.01）. Conclusions The ED course greatly affected the therapeutic effect of PDE5-1, the patients with ED should consult doctor at early stage of the disease. Admistration of PDE5-1 effectively improves the penile erection and the quality of sexual life of the patients hence should be considered as first-line medicine in the treatment of ED.

Application of the international classification of functioning, disability and health in China

Implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health （ICF） started in 2001 with the unanimous endorsement of the classification by the 54th World Health Organization （WHO） as a framework for describing and measuring health and disability. In recent years, the ICF has been increasingly applied to research and development in China, and has influenced the policies of the Chinese Disabled Person Enterprise and Chinese Rehabilitation Career. This paper introduces the translation, training and spread of ICF and its application in the fields of medicine, society and education in China.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of once-daily dosing and on-demand use of udenafil for type 2 diabetic patients with erectile dysfunction

We compared the efficacy and safety between once-daily dosing and on-demand use of udenafil for type 2 diabetic patients with erectile dysfunction （ED）. A multi-center, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, 12-week study was conducted. 161 patients who improved with on-demand 200 mg of udenafil according to Sexual Encounter Profile （SEP） diary Question 2 and 3 （Q2 and Q3） were randomized into 200 mg on-demand （n = 80） or 50 mg once-daily （n = 81） dosing groups for 8 weeks. The dosing period was followed by a 4-week treatment-free period. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change of the International Index of Erectile Function （IIEF） erectile function domain （EFD） score. The secondary efficacy endpoints included changes to the SEP diary Q2, Q3, IIEF Q3, Q4, other domains of IIEF, Global Assessment Question, and shift to the normal rate （EFD 〉 26）. Vascular endothelial markers were also assessed. The IIEF-EFD score of both groups improved after 8 weeks of treatment （P 〈 0.0001）. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups. Improvement was not maintained after the treatment-free follow-up period. Similar results were observed in the secondary efficacy endpoints. There was also no significant difference in vascular endothelial markers. Daily udenafil was well-tolerated, and there was no significant difference in the adverse drug reactions and adverse events between the two groups. Flushing and headache were the most frequent adverse events. Both regimens improved ED in diabetic patients and were well-tolerated. Further studies are needed to assess the effect of daily udenafil treatment in diabetic patients.

Global Disturbance Rejection of Switched Nonlinear Systems with Switched Internal Model

This paper investigates the problem of global disturbance rejection for a class of switched nonlinear systems where the solvability of the disturbance rejection problem for subsystems is not assumed. The disturbances are assumed to be sinusoidal with completely unknown frequencies, phases and amplitudes. First, as an extension of the classic concept of internal model for non-switched systems, a switched internal model is proposed. Second, in order to solve the problem under study, an adaptive control method is established on the basis of the multiple Lyapunov functions method. Also,adaptive state-feedback controllers of subsystems are designed and incorporated with a switching law to asymptotically reject the unknown disturbances. Finally, an example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.

Relationship between single and bulk mechanical properties for zeolite ZSM5 spray-dried particles

In this work typical mechanical properties for a catalyst support material, ZSM5 （a spray-dried granular zeolite）, have been measured in order to relate the bulk behaviour of the powder material to the single particle mechanical properties. Particle shape and size distribution of the powders, determined by laser diffraction and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, confirmed the spherical shape of the spray-dried particles. The excellent flowability of the material was assessed by typical methods such as the Hausner ratio and the Cart index, This was confirmed by bulk measurements of the particle-particle internal friction parameter and flow function using a Schulze shear cell, which also illustrated the low compressibility of the material. Single particle compression was used to characterize single particle mechanical properties such as reduced elastic modulus and strength from Hertz contact mechanics theory. Comparison with surface properties obtained from nanoindentation suggests heterogeneity, the surface being harder than the core. In order to evaluate the relationship between single particle mechanical properties and bulk compression behaviour, uniaxial confined compression was carried out. It was determined that the Adams model was suitable for describing the bulk compression and furthermore that the Adams model parameter, apparent strength of single particles, was in good agreement with the single particle strength determined from single particle compression test.